Po’ Boys and Mo’

Yats New Orleans Original Po Boys opened quietly in May, little more than a service window with a kitchen prep area tucked into the back of a bar. Business has been growing by word of mouth, reports Melanie Wong, and so has the Chowhound buzz.

Perhaps the best bets are the classics. Crawfish po’ boy is piled to overflowing with “tender and juicy mud bugs lightly dusted with spicy cornmeal and expertly fried,” Melanie says.

They tend to go too light with the remoulade, resulting in a dry-ish sandwich, so go ahead and ask for extra—it’s good. And the French rolls are impressive, special ordered from New Orleans. “Dressed” means the sandwich comes with iceberg lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo.

Catfish, another Gulf favorite, is “very moist and flavorful,” says Civil Bear, adding that a side of beans and rice is “rich, smoky, and peppery, with succulent chunks of sausage throughout.”

No one has been lucky enough yet to nab a “debris” po’ boy with gravy—a lot of them go to catering orders. It sounds tantalizing, though: extra slow-cooked roast beef with a rich gravy that’s typically spiked with Worcestershire sauce and herbs.

Shrimp po’ boy is also good, say several hounds, with nice breading, but lmarie reports a lone disappointment with the oyster po’ boy, with just four very small oysters, each with a tough, chewy part. Still, the batter is tasty and peppery.

And yes, there is gumbo, “a concentrated dusky broth flavored with dark roux, fragrant bay leaf, black pepper, and the holy trinity [bell pepper, celery, and onion],” says Melanie Wong. Plus plenty of Gulf shrimp, meaty crab, smoked sausage, and shreds of dark-meat chicken. The smell alone was enough to tempt one of the barflys over to the Yats window.

The sausage-intensive jambalaya is nice and spicy, and the cornbread has a touch of honey, notes rworange.

Desserts like German chocolate cake and rum cake have good old-fashioned flavor, but don’t get delivered till around noon.

Jack’s Club itself is a true dive with “some of the most relaxed bar trivia in SF,” says grishnackh, but there’s an odd, off-putting smell to the place that stacks the odds towards take-out. Besides, despite the posted hours, Yats closes at 4, well before trivia, open mike, or karaoke night kicks off.

For Thanksgiving, Yats’ chef is going to be frying up turkeys right out on the sidewalk all morning. You have until Monday, November 24 to order. A fried turkey alone (choice of traditional, Cajun, or jerk seasonings) is $54, and a completely Louisiana turkey dinner is $134.